美語情景對話 第647期:Cars of the Future 未來的汽車

Todd: Now, Phil, you mentioned that you actually studied automotive engineering.

託德：菲爾，你說過你學過汽車工程。

Phil: Yeah, that's correct.

菲爾：對，沒錯。

Todd: OK, can you explain what automotive engineering is?

託德：好，請你解釋一下汽車工程。

Phil: It's basically car design and basically technology involved in cars in all aspects: the engine, the performance, the aerodynamics, so it's basically an overview of all kind of car aspects for the future.

菲爾：基本上來說，汽車工程就是汽車設計和汽車在各個環節所需要的技術：比如引擎、性能、空氣動力等等，所以基本上來說就是未來各種汽車的概論。

Todd: Cool, so you must know a lot about the cars of the future and stuff. I mean, how do you see cars in let's say twenty years, thirty years, forty years?

託德：真酷，那你一定了解與未來的汽車有關的情況。我是說，你認爲20年、30年或是40年後的汽車會怎麼樣？

Phil: In the near future I think the big developments will be alternative fuels. At the moment petrol and diesel engines are causing a lot of damage to the planet and we're going to eventually run out of natural resources, so I think the developments will be towards electric or hybrid cars.

菲爾：我認爲在不久的未來替代燃料會取得巨大的發展。目前使用的汽油和柴油發動機對地球造成了很大的破壞，最後我們的自然資源可能會用盡，所以我認爲汽車一定要向電動汽車或混合動力車發展。

Todd: Right.

託德：對。

Phil: Maybe even using fuel cells such as hydrogen.

菲爾：甚至可以用氫燃料電池。

Todd: Well, like how many years away do you think this is?

託德：你認爲這一過程需要多少年？

Phil: Realistically, ten to fifteen years away before we start seeing the first ones in production but before we see everyone using them, it's going to be twenty years, I would have thought, I guess.

菲爾：距離第一輛新型汽車的生產可能還需要10至15年，而新型汽車的使用可能需要20年，這是我的想法。

Todd: Right.... Now, I once had a student who was an engineer for Chyrsler, Daimal-Chrystler, and he was saying that they already have cars that can drive without people, like you can just say your location and it'll go there. Have you heard about that?

託德：好……我曾經教過一個在克萊斯勒當工程師的學生，他說他們已經生產出了無人駕駛汽車，你只要說出地點，就可以到達那裏。你聽說過嗎？

Phil: I've seen the technology from a German company called Volkswagon as well. The problem with this technology — it's brilliant. It's amazing what it can do, but people's attitude is the problem. People like the sense of freedom from having a car.

菲爾：我在德國大衆公司那裏見到過這種技術。問題是……這一技術非常棒。這種技術非常不可思議，不過現在的問題是人們的態度。人們喜歡開車帶來的自由。

Todd: Right.

託德：對。

Phil: And if your car is driving you then you lose that. It's like being on a train of something, so you lose that individual sense of freedom.

菲爾：如果你的車可以自動駕駛，那你就失去了那種自由。就好像坐火車一樣，人們會失去那種自由感。

Todd: Wow, that's right. That's a good point.

託德：哇，沒錯。這個觀點很不錯。

Phil : And then, there's the infrastructure.

菲爾：還有基礎設施問題。

Todd: Oh, so you think that basically, it'll never take off, that people will always want to drive their own cars?

託德：哦，所以你認爲無人駕駛汽車不可能獲得成功，因爲人們都喜歡自己駕駛汽車？

Phil: Possibly, although maybe they could develop a system where in the inner cities the system is used, basically to help, because traffic flow and congestion is a problem.

菲爾：可能吧，也許他們可以開發一個在內城區使用的系統，在內城區進行輔助，因爲車流量和交通擁堵也是個問題。

Todd: Right.

託德：沒錯。

Phil: So maybe within the cities, the system could be used, but outside the city, people would always want their freedom in the country roads — the thrill of driving, the excitement.

菲爾：所以這個系統可以在城市裏使用，而出了城市以後，人們更喜歡在鄉村道路上享受自由、駕駛的快感和興奮感。

Todd: Right... Now when you watch movies, you often see cars that can fly, or cars that can go underwater like in a James Bond movie. Do you see that maybe in the future?

託德：好……我們經常在電影中看到能飛起來的汽車，或者是《007》電影中可以在水下行駛的汽車。你認爲未來會有這樣的汽車嗎？

Phil: Underwater I think would be a bit pointless, and very difficult to achieve the engineering. It's possible now, but the engineering is just ridiculously hi-tech, but I don't know about the flying cars. Maybe in hundreds of years but certainly not in my lifetime and not in anyone's lifetime who's listening to this website, no.

菲爾：我認爲在水下行駛沒什麼意義，而且要實現這項技術非常難。現在倒是有可能，不過這種高科技有點荒唐，我也不知道能飛起來的汽車。我想可能幾百年後能實現，不過在我有生之年是不可能的，當然在各位聽衆的有生之年也是不可能實現的。

Todd: All right. Thanks a lot Phil.

託德：好。菲爾，非常謝謝你。

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重點講解：
1. all kinds of 各種類型的；五花八門的；
例句：All kinds of remarkable things began to happen.
開始發生各種不尋常的事。
2. let's say 比如說；比方說；
例句：Let's say you miss the train, what do you plan to do?
假定你趕不上火車，你準備怎麼辦？
3. run out of 用完；耗盡；
例句：I ran out of petrol, but a passing motorist saved the situation.
我的汽油用完了，但是一輛路過的汽車司機救了我。
4. as well 也；還；
例句：Andy's face paled with disappointment; perhaps with anger as well.
安迪的臉色由於失望而變得蒼白，也許還摻雜着氣憤。
5. take off （產品、活動、事業等）騰飛，突然成功；
例句：Critics used to say that microtransactions would not take off, arguing that consumers would not pay for online content.
評論人士曾表示“微交易”不會興旺起來，他們認爲，消費者不會爲網上內容付費。